contaminatior"<strong>and</strong> weather as you would with h<strong>and</strong>-tied tobacco. Bales can generally be stacked flatways 4 to 5 high for same-day or overnight hauling <strong>and</strong> unloading trips without appreciable distortion <strong>of</strong> the bottom bales, especially if the bales have been properly made. H<strong>and</strong>ling bales with frozen or dried edges will cause greater shatter losses than when the edges are kept moist <strong>and</strong> pliable (in normal "case" or "order"). 6. How to check f or "firm" bales a. The proper "firmness" or "tightness" <strong>of</strong> any bale can be checked on the farm at the time <strong>of</strong> making bales (direct from the stripping room <strong>and</strong> above 32oF tobacco (unfrozen) as follows: (1) Compare the size, weight, <strong>and</strong> moisture content with research results <strong>and</strong> recommendations reported on page 4 <strong>of</strong> these instructions, or (2) Lay a sample bale flatways on a smooth, solid base. Stack 3 similar bales on top <strong>of</strong> the first bale. lf the stack remains nearly vertical Ior 24 hours, then the bottom bale is "tirm" enough (7). lf the top <strong>of</strong> the stack leans 2 to 4 inches or more or topples after 24 hours, the bottom bale is too loose <strong>and</strong> s<strong>of</strong>t. Repack <strong>and</strong> press this <strong>and</strong> all similar bales tighter, (3) CAUTION: For tobacco too moist (high "case" or "order"), the tobacco can be pressed too tight, resulting in "bruised" or "caked" leaves <strong>and</strong> possibly lowering the market value <strong>of</strong> the tobacco. Allow the tobacco to dry to normal "case" or "order" before baling. Be sure that modified or nonst<strong>and</strong>ard bale press equipment does not exceed the compression force <strong>of</strong> 1,000 to 1,200 pounds as described elsewhere <strong>and</strong> required to make normal bales. DETIVERING AND SEttING BURLEY BALES The h<strong>and</strong>ling <strong>and</strong> loading <strong>of</strong> the burley bales at the farm should be done similar to the normal h<strong>and</strong>ling <strong>of</strong> h<strong>and</strong>-tied tobacco. Use a clean bed vehicle that will not contaminate the tobacco. Stack the baled tobacco three to f ive bales high with the bales laid flatways to form a stable load. Use ropes if necessary to secure the load onto the vehicle. Be sure each bale has a tag securely attached showing the owner's name <strong>and</strong> indicating a farm grade. This tag is necessary for proper grouping <strong>and</strong> accountability <strong>of</strong> your tobacco at the warehouse. Cover the loaded tobacco with a tarp or suitable material for wind <strong>and</strong> other protection on the way to the warehouse. At the warehouse, instructions will be available on the method <strong>of</strong> stacking the bales for marketing <strong>and</strong> other pertinent details. Cenerally, up to 7 bales <strong>of</strong> the same farm grade will be stacked to form a marketable unit. You may have some stacks with only 1 or 2 bales. These lots <strong>of</strong> tobacco will be weighed as normally done. The stacks <strong>of</strong> bales will be lined up on the warehouse floor until sale time. ln preparation for federal grading, a warehouse representative will open a particular bale in a lot <strong>of</strong> tobacco chosen by the grader for inspection. The producer is responsible for certifying that the bale inspected is representative <strong>of</strong> the grade <strong>of</strong> all the tobacco in that lot, that the leaf was stalk-cured, that the bales do not contain any foreign matter or material <strong>and</strong> that the bales are not nested. After grading, the bales will be sold by auction in the same manner as conventional h<strong>and</strong>-tied tobacco. The open bale will be manually retied or otherwise secured with the stack for further h<strong>and</strong>ling <strong>and</strong> shipment intact with the lot. REFERENCES 1. "A Report on <strong>Packaging</strong> <strong>Burley</strong> <strong>Tobacco</strong>," prepared by a Special Committee, College <strong>of</strong> Agriculture, <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Kentucky</strong>, August, 1977. 2. Bunn, Joe M. <strong>and</strong> Wiley H. Henson, Jr. "Environmental Requirements for Storage <strong>of</strong> Baled <strong>Burley</strong> <strong>Tobacco</strong>." Presented at the 1977 Annual Meeting <strong>of</strong> the American Society <strong>of</strong> Agricultural Engineers, Raleigh, North Carolina, June 26-29,1977. Paper No. 77-4058. 3. Walton, Linus R., Samuel G. McNeill, George A. 'Duncan, John E. Morrison, Jr., <strong>and</strong> John N. Walker. "Compressibility <strong>of</strong> Baled <strong>Burley</strong> <strong>Tobacco</strong>." <strong>Tobacco</strong> Science, XXI : pp. 69-71, 1977. 4. Walton, L. R., L. D. Swetnam, J. H. Casada, C. A. Duncan, <strong>and</strong> J. M. Bunn. "Stack Stability <strong>of</strong> Baled <strong>Burley</strong> <strong>Tobacco</strong>." <strong>Tobacco</strong> Science, XXlll: pp. 92-95. 5. Bunn, J. M., W. H. Henson, Jr., L. R. Walton, L. Swetnam, <strong>and</strong> J. H. Casada. "Potential for Shatter Loss During H<strong>and</strong>ling <strong>of</strong> Loose-leaf Packages <strong>of</strong> <strong>Burley</strong> <strong>Tobacco</strong>." <strong>Tobacco</strong> Science, XXlll: 14-17, 1979. 6. Duncan, C. A., J. H. Smiley <strong>and</strong> J. Calvert. "Farm Labor <strong>and</strong> Cost Comparisons for Three Methods <strong>of</strong> Preparing Cured <strong>Burley</strong> <strong>Tobacco</strong> for Market." <strong>Tobacco</strong> Science, XXI l: 55-60, 1979. 7. Swetnam, L. D., L. R. Walton, J. H. Casada, T. C. Bridges, C. A. Duncan, <strong>and</strong> J. M. Bunn. "Longterm Deformation <strong>of</strong> <strong>Burley</strong> <strong>Tobacco</strong> Bales." TRANSACTIONS ASAE 24:1, pp.55-58, 1981.
F|G.2 ONE.BOX TOBACCO BALE PRESS I{OODEN DESIGN STEEL DESIGN RG.s ruYWOOD CUTOUT PATTERN rcR TOBACCO BALE BOX (NOTE'Of{E SET REOUIRED PER SINGLE BOX, 3 SETS REOUIRED FOR 3.BOX UNIT) ALLOW * SAf, CUT d 7j r a'r 8'rc GnAO€ *YWOOO W|YH €XY. DOOR SUPPORT ( r pea eorr t2" t2" 32+ * BACK (IP€RBOX) EiD ENO 2 P€R 60! '-lr I oooR ( I P€R BOX) PRESS HEAD EOARDS (s€E ouEx3tor.s lqLow) I rt" 'LYUOOo ll AaOvE t" T. 3t, ro" ro" c r0" r0" rl Sl+ |
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